Feed costs significantly impact the profitability of commercial fish farming operations. Fish farms use floating "seacages" to hold the fish. These cages are made of a mesh material (net or webbing). The net is sized to prevent fish escape while allowing free circulation of water through the cage. The net completely encapsulates the fish with the exception of surface water (that is, the cage surrounds the fish in the water around the sides and the bottom).
Somewhat analogous to feeding pet fish in an aquarium, commercially raised fish are fed by dropping food pellets into the water in the seacage. The amount of food needed is hard to judge accurately. Unlike other animals, the feeding urges of fish are more sensitive to environmental changes and other factors. What is adequate feeding one day may be overfeeding the next. In order to promote maximum growth, it is desirable to feed the fish as much as they will eat. However, overfeeding creates waste and unnecessary cost.
The fish consume the feed as it is dropped into the seacage. This is a dynamic process where the fish must "catch" the food as it slowly sinks down. Whatever is not eaten escapes the cage through the bottom and eventually rests on the bottom of the sea, lake, or riverbed in which the cage is located.
The present invention provides a way to monitor overfeeding and thereby reduce food waste by tracking the quantity of feed that escapes through the bottom of the cage.